Absalom’s Conspiracy

15 In the course of time,^(A) Absalom provided himself with a chariot^(B) and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. ² He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate.^(C) Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” ³ Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.”^{(D) 4} And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land!^(E) Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”

⁵ Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. ⁶ Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts^(F) of the people of Israel.

⁷ At the end of four^[a] years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. ⁸ While your servant was living at Geshur^(G) in Aram, I made this vow:^(H) ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.^[b]’”

⁹ The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron.

¹⁰ Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets,^(I) then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” ¹¹ Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. ¹² While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel^(J) the Gilonite, David’s counselor,^(K) to come from Giloh,^(L) his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.^(M)

David Flees

¹³ A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”

¹⁴ Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee,^(N) or none of us will escape from Absalom.^(O) We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”

¹⁵ The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”

¹⁶ The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines^(P) to take care of the palace. ¹⁷ So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. ¹⁸ All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites^(Q) and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

¹⁹ The king said to Ittai^(R) the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,^(S) an exile from your homeland. ²⁰ You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander^(T) about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”^[c](U)

²¹ But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”^(V)

²² David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

²³ The whole countryside wept aloud^(W) as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,^(X) and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

²⁴ Zadok^(Y) was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark^(Z) of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar^(AA) offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place^(AB) again. ²⁶ But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.^(AC)”

²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?^(AD) Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.^(AE) You and Abiathar return with your two sons. ²⁸ I will wait at the fords^(AF) in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping^(AG) as he went; his head^(AH) was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. ³¹ Now David had been told, “Ahithophel^(AI) is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

³² When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai^(AJ) the Arkite^(AK) was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust^(AL) on his head. ³³ David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden^(AM) to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’^(AN) then you can help me by frustrating^(AO) Ahithophel’s advice. ³⁵ Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.^{(AP) 36} Their two sons, Ahimaaz^(AQ) son of Zadok and Jonathan^(AR) son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

³⁷ So Hushai,^(AS) David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom^(AT) was entering the city.

Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon

31 In the eleventh year,^(A) in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(B) 2} “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:

¹⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud^(R) of its height, ¹¹ I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,^{(S) 12} and the most ruthless of foreign nations^(T) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;^(U) its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.^{(V) 13} All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.^{(W) 14} Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined^(X) for death,^(Y) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.^(Z)

¹⁵ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.^{(AA) 16} I made the nations tremble^(AB) at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees^(AC) of Eden,^(AD) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled^(AE) in the earth below.^{(AF) 17} They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,^(AG) along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.

¹⁸ “‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised,^(AH) with those killed by the sword.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

No Confidence in the Flesh

3 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,^(A) and it is a safeguard for you. ² Watch out for those dogs,^(B) those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. ³ For it is we who are the circumcision,^(C) we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus,^(D) and who put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence.^(E)

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised^(F) on the eighth day, of the people of Israel,^(G) of the tribe of Benjamin,^(H) a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;^{(I) 6} as for zeal,^(J) persecuting the church;^(K) as for righteousness based on the law,^(L) faultless.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss^(M) for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing^(N) Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ^{(O) 9} and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,^(P) but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness^(Q) that comes from God on the basis of faith.^{(R) 10} I want to know^(S) Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,^(T) becoming like him in his death,^{(U) 11} and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection^(V) from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,^(W) but I press on to take hold^(X) of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.^{(Y) 13} Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind^(Z) and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on^(AA) toward the goal to win the prize^(AB) for which God has called^(AC) me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature^(AD) should take such a view of things.^(AE) And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.^{(AF) 16} Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷ Join together in following my example,^(AG) brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.^{(AH) 18} For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,^(AI) many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.^{(AJ) 19} Their destiny^(AK) is destruction, their god is their stomach,^(AL) and their glory is in their shame.^(AM) Their mind is set on earthly things.^{(AN) 20} But our citizenship^(AO) is in heaven.^(AP) And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,^{(AQ) 21} who, by the power^(AR) that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies^(AS) so that they will be like his glorious body.^(AT)

BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.